Rolex Deepsea Challenge - Rolex and ExplorationRolex took an active part in the historic Deepsea Challenge expedition of film-maker James Cameron. Discover more about exploration on the Official Rolex Website.

To The Deepest Reaches ofthe Oceans

Rolex Deepsea Challenge

True to its passion for underwater exploration, Rolex took an active part in the historic DEEPSEA CHALLENGE expedition of film-maker and explorer James Cameron (director of Titanic, Avatar) in partnership with the National Geographic Society. On 26 March 2012, the expedition’s submersible descended 10,908 metres (35,787 feet) to reach Challenger Deep, the deepest point in the world’s oceans. The DEEPSEA CHALLENGER carried an experimental divers’ watch, the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, on its robotic manipulator arm. The timepiece worked perfectly throughout the dive at extreme pressures, confirming Rolex’s position as the leading brand in waterproofness.

The Mariana Trench

A dark valley in the Pacific

The Mariana Trench, which stretches in an arc around the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest part of the world’s oceans. The deepest point in the trench, known as Challenger Deep, lies some 11,000 metres (nearly 7 miles) below the surface. If Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, were set in the trench, there would still be approximately 2,000 metres (1.3 miles) of water above it.

The Mariana Trench

A dark valley in the Pacific

The Mariana Trench, which stretches in an arc around the Mariana Islands in the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest part of the world’s oceans. The deepest point in the trench, known as Challenger Deep, lies some 11,000 metres (nearly 7 miles) below the surface. If Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, were set in the trench, there would still be approximately 2,000 metres (1.3 miles) of water above it.

The Trieste

23 January 1960

Both James Cameron’s expedition and the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE directly echo the bathyscaphe Trieste’s historic dive on 23 January 1960, the first and, until 2012, the only manned dive to the deepest-known point in the Mariana Trench. On that exploit, an experimental Oyster model, the DEEP SEA SPECIAL, was attached to the hull and accompanied the Trieste into the abyss.

The Deep Sea Special

23 January 1960

It reached the record depth of 10,916 metres (35,814 feet), returning to the surface in perfect working order, a feat that remained unrivalled for more than half a century.

The making ofthe Rolex Deepsea Challenge

The story

The story behind the making of this experimental divers’ watch starts and finishes at Rolex headquarters in Switzerland, where the watchmaker’s know-how and the expertise of a highly specialized team were put to the test — and proven successful — in yet another pioneering endeavour.

An engineering challenge

53 days before the dive

Taking as their starting point the diameter of the movement and dial of the ROLEX DEEPSEA, the design engineers calculated the technical dimensions required to resist the shock of the 1,500-bar pressure test. At a depth of 15,000 metres, the load exerted on the crystal is 17 tonnes and on the case back nearly 23 tonnes; the equivalent of about 10 SUVs piled on the watch.

Express design

44 days before the dive

One of Rolex’s designers was asked to devote all his attention and expertise to giving the piece more harmonious proportions. The designer adapted the thickness of the middle case and the rotatable bezel to cover a larger portion of the crystal. He persuaded the engineers to add a bevel to the crystal in order to soften its appearance.

The height of the case back was increased just enough to visually balance the apparent thickness of the middle case. Even the proportions of the Triplock winding crown were adjusted, since it seemed too small on an oversized middle case.

A watch named Rolex Deepsea Challenge

43 days before the dive

Once the project was launched, the experimental watch needed a name. The choice was obvious: it would be baptized ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE in tribute to its three-fold heritage: the name of James Cameron’s project; to the 1960 Deep Sea Special model, which had accompanied the Trieste; and finally to the 2008 ROLEX DEEPSEA, the watch’s conceptual, technical and aesthetic blueprint.

The crownand the laser

36 days before the dive

The screw-down winding crown is one of the fundamental waterproof features of the Oyster. A new laser engraving technology, which was under development in the prototype unit, was used to engrave in black the Rolex crown emblem and the three dots designating the TRIPLOCK triple waterproofness system on the surface of the winding crown, instead of being stamped in relief in the usual manner for standard production watches. These steps demonstrate the extent to which innovative solutions were found to tackle myriad manufacturing challenges and produce this extraordinary model.

Manufacturing workshop

36 days before the dive

The case and bracelet of the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE were manufactured at the brand’s prototype workshops. It is hard to imagine two more distinct worlds than this highly specialized workshop, a true miniature manufacturing plant, and the industrial production facility. In the latter, entire floors of large-capacity machines carry out well-established operational sequences to make finished products in large quantities.
At the prototype workshop, on the other hand, custom-made items are produced one by one, creating parts and complete components from raw materials. Here, the key words are reactivity and flexibility.

Art and matter

36 days before the dive

Exceptional watch, exceptional components: 904L steel for the middle case and bracelet, high performance nitrogen-alloyed steel for the RINGLOCK System ring, grade 5 titanium for the case back.
The prototype workshop is a true miniature manufacturing plant; out of these raw materials, it was ready to produce all the metal parts from scratch and craft them with an impeccable finish. As for the movement, dial and hands, the standard components of the ROLEX DEEPSEA were used – with ad hoc adjustments to the dial design.

The unique faceof the dial

36 days before the dive

While the prototype experts were busy cutting the steel and the titanium, a few steps away the dial of the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE saw the light of day.

The base plates were taken from the production run of the standard ROLEX DEEPSEA dials. The CHROMALIGHT hour markers in white gold with long-lasting luminescence were the same. A major difference was in the markings: at the bottom of the dial, the water-resistance guarantee numbers were changed to reflect the record depth, 39,370 ft = 12,000 m. They were also substantially enlarged, practically to the size of the Rolex logo on the dial, to emphasize the exceptional character of the piece.

Singular Cerachrom insert

36 days before the dive

The CERACHROM insert on the rotatable bezel of the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE proved to be a critical element in the making of this exclusive model. A special Cerachrom insert had to be produced to fit the larger diameter of the bezel. The principal challenge in making this component was the ceramic manufacturing process, which requires long and incompressible time constraints.

Dimensionsare everything

24 days before the dive

One after the other, all the elements of the case took shape. But one more step was necessary before assembly in order to ensure the perfect integration of all the parts of the case: a strict dimensional control of the components, performed by the Development Department’s measurement centre.

These experts in precision use extremely reliable and accurate (to within one half of a micron) measuring instruments, equipped with multiple sensors.Their mission: to ensure that the parts produced correspond exactly to the design engineers’ plans. A prime responsibility, because the waterproofness and the ultimate resistance of the watch would depend on the conformity of the parts.

Watchmakersunder pressure

21 days before the dive

Rolex watchmakers are used to working on highly confidential special projects. But for two of them, the latest mission was truly exceptional. It would be up to them to place movements in the oversized cases of the five ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE watches, to seal the case backs and to subject the watches to all of the standard Rolex functional and chronometric tests.
An enormous responsibility considering that, as the last links in the chain, the whole project would hang on the quality of their work.

A unique tankfor extreme tests

17 days before the dive

In 2004, during the development of the ROLEX DEEPSEA, Rolex acquired a special hyperbaric tank, capable of testing watches to depths deeper than the deepest ocean floor. Watches could be tested at pressures of up to 1,500 bars (corresponding to a depth of 15,000 metres: 12,000 metres + a 25 per cent safety margin) so that they could be certified as divers’ watches in keeping with official standards.

After undergoing testing in the tank, the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE watches were once again checked and meticulously inspected by a quality specialist to detect any possible damage caused by the pressure. They also underwent a whole battery of chronometric precision tests lasting 24 hours.

Read more

The Bracelet

17 days before the dive

The last step: the watchmakers fitted the bracelet, still under the watchful eye of the product quality expert who had been checking that the watches conformed to Rolex criteria at each step of the casing process – from the receipt of the components to the finished watch.

Mission Accomplished

7h46

Thanks to their perseverance, dedication and commitment to perfection, the team at Rolex achieved the impossible. In just over four weeks, they designed, engineered, manufactured and tested a unique experimental model, the ROLEX DEEPSEA CHALLENGE, overcoming significant challenges on the way and meeting the toughest of deadlines.

Yet it was still too early to celebrate. The true celebration came when the watch proved itself under real-life circumstances, emerging from the depths of Challenger Deep in perfect condition – a formidable mission accomplished.

Rolex S.A respects your right to privacy and is committed to maintaining your confidence and trust. The details you provide through this website will not be used to send unsolicited email, and will not be sold to a third party. Rolex S.A. does not gather any information from you without your knowledge and consent, and no personal details are required to access the website. Information provided to Rolex S.A. is stored in a secure location and is accessible only by designated staff.